Power Cords Snake Oil ??

I can share my experience, but I can't verify anything with measurements.

I was a longtime subcriber to Stereophile till about ten years ago. I did not cancel because of the number of ultra-highend reviews, but because of all the discussion about powercords. I just could not buy into the theory that they could make such a big difference, and besides I was happy with my system.

About five or six years later I got a card from someone saying I could resubscribe for about $10.00 a year, and I thought, what the heck...

They were still talking about powercords!!! I decided to take a chance and see if there was anything to all this hype. I went down to the local audio emporium and snake oil dealer and bought one Transparent Audio powercord. It cost about $120 which I did not consider to be too outrageous.

I did not know what to expect in my system with the new cord so I didn't really have any expectations. From the time I plugged it into my amp I heard a very noticeable difference. The mid to low bass was much more pronounced and the soundstage seemed to come from a more quiet background. I was so surprised that the next time I got paid I ran back to the snake oil dealer and bought another powercord. I used this one on my pre-amp and heard more of the same thing as I did with the first cord.

Since then I have replaced all of my PCs with DIY versions of the old Chris VenHaus PCs with great satisfaction.

I certainly am not suggesting that anyone who did not experience the same thing as I, is wrong in their conclusion. I just want to point out that I was extremely skeptical about the virtues of aftermarket PCs, but based on experience have become a believer.

While I consider the statements about amplifiers being fully understood to be as absurd as statement as was ever made in the history of the world, the statement cannot be currently disproven.

As design continues to improve and the next big step is made we will all recognize that there was something about amps that maybe we did not firmly grasp.

That is as absurd as saying you know everything about your wife. People will never know everything about anything in this life!

Corona is right on with his quote. The biggest problem I have with the measurement crowd is that science to too immature to know what it is measuring, much less to know how to measure it.

In many cases modern science is like dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants trying to proclaim their vast understanding, and vision.

We actually understand very little about electricity and what takes place within our humble equipment. We don't have to tools with which to measure, or the understanding of what we are measuring.

If two amps measure the same they should sound the same, since they don't sound the same, there is obviously something missing in our measuring system, or tool box!

It is not the fault of the gear that two similar amps sound different, or that two different PCs sound different. Don't blame the PC, blame the science, or the dwarf! If all else fails, blame the racoon.

Eldartford, I don't think science is anywhere near as mature as you and others might suggest. We understand the basics of many things but the details of very few.

I have studied college physics and mathematics, and for the most part been successful at it. This 'little bit' of knowledge (along with being a dangerous thing) has piqued my curiosity to continue the study on my own, not by experimenting, but by reading and studying.

I find it amusing that the cutting edge scientists in most fields are far less dogmatic than their followers. There are far fewer hard fast laws among the elite than among audiophiles, and high school teacher. Many admit that much of what is taught as fact is theory, at best.

Teachers were far more convinced of the origin of the world, and man before 'Information Theory' was developed calling into question many of their assertations. These questions do nothing to change the minds of those who do not participate in the study though. I merely use this as an example. I have no desire to enter into a futile debate over the merits of origin, or Information Theory.

I do not own equipment which measures poorly, but sounds great. I guess the reference here is to SETs. I have never heard them, for that matter. But if they sound as good as their proponants say, does that mean something is wrong with SETs, or the tools used to measure. The opinion is that we don't understand what we are trying to measure for the most part, so we don't have the tools to accomplish our desires.

Again I return to the analogy of Dwarves on the Shoulders of Giants. Those who came before went as far as their technology would allow. Now 'modern science' has to build on their foundation, and continue the work rather than sitting back and saying the work is finished. Our technology has developed over the years and we should be able to go much farther than our scientific forefathers. In many areas science is continuing to develop, it just takes a while for theory to affect practical application. Does anyone really think that the stereo systems of today are the best there will ever be? Of course not! That's because science is going to continue to grow and allow for the next great wave of improvements. Those improvements will be in areas which are not properly understood today. Hopefully someone will understand another area of measurement in what is existing now that will allow for the explanation of something not yet understood, and all of us will ride the coat tails of this new breakthrough to experience even better systems and I'm afraid to suggest, even PCs!!!

There is much about ourselves and our own world that we do not understand. To suggest otherwise is simply foolish. There is much for science to learn. Science is the first to admit this. Consider that science has often been wrong in the past, and has admitted as much once proven to be fact. This is a step toward maturity!!!

I wish those who speak out in the name of science would follow the example of the ones with more understanding.

The older I get the more I'm conviced that the person who has the answer did not understand the question. That's only a little bit of a joke!

Eldartford, I think there is a lot of correlation between the two points. Just because we understand some of how an amplifier works, doesn't mean we understand all the minute details. In that respect there are many similarities between cosmology, quantum physics, and amplifier design.

Zaikesman, the point was that there is a difference between fact and theory. If it is only a preponderance of evidence, the gap still exists. I am not denegrating theories. I am simply pointing out that theories do not have the preponderence of evidence that a fact does, so based on that they must be considered to less 'concrete' than fact.

All I'm trying to say is that what will all of these arguements that say "we can't measure the difference therefore there must not be a difference." will have to be reevaluated if/when someone brings the next advancement to the electrical sciences.

When the Catholic Church said the world was flat or that the earth was the center of the universe, those assertations did not change the facts. Exploration and science have not changed the universe, they have only verified it.

There is much more verification that can and will take place in regard to our knowledge of electricity.